I can't think of anything more boring to read than a home reno post, even the continuing origin story of BatCan, but continuing work in this direction added up almost the entirety of the weekend, so I feel obligated to record it. Besides, I am so far out of my comfort zone with most of this stuff that it has occupied almost all my mental bandwidth anyhow, so trying to redirect it is probably pointless.
And there was definitely some progress made! Scott walked me through the paint purchasing process over the cell phone Friday morning, so the incredible panoply of choices even before venturing into colour didn't quite give me an anxiety attack. In keeping with the Bat-theme, we had agreed on a light grey for the walls. I had a pretty clear idea in my mind, but I didn't see too much point in asking the young lad behind the counter if they had the kind of grey used in Batman's costume, but not the movie Batman, and not actually the current dark grey comic incarnation either, but ideally the grey used in the Neal Adams stories he drew for writer Denny O'Neil, or in the apron I got from Tara on a previous birthday. I pictured such a conversation being dissatisfying for everyone involved, and decided to forego it entirely, perhaps bookmarking it for the next Edmonton Comic Expo.
Resigning myself to the swatches, I tried to make up my mind on the shade I was coveting before looking at the name, and it's a good thing too. 'French Silver' was not at all right, but no one on my crew had any problem referring to it as Batman Grey instead.
Friday was spent prepping and priming so that the helpers arriving Saturday morning could get right into painting. I did make enough headway to head out to Tara's that evening for supper though; Fenya was staying the night so she could help out at a banquet at the Leduc Legion Hall and get some kitchen/serving experience in hopes of making herself a bit more employable for the summer, and it was also an excuse to belatedly observe Audrey's birthday with some ridiculous but tasty chocolate mustaches on a stick that my sister provided.
After Glory, Audrey and I got back to Edmonton around ten, it was right back to work, and we managed to get everything primed before staggering off to bed at half-past twelve. Glory was a little dynamo, but paid for it the next day with a degree of morning lethargy somewhere between Rip Van Winkle and Lazarus.
Saturday saw Mike and Pete come over to assist, first with the plumbing, which went completely rogue and caught poor Mike completely unawares, nearly drowning him. Thankfully I was close enough to the main feed to turn it off before tragedy struck, and Mike took the whole affair in his usual easygoing manner, claiming his drenched t-shirt was actually 'refreshing'.
Pete and I got the first coat of Batman Grey (see how much better that sounds) on all the primed walls outside the now dampened BatCan, and just managed to get a first coat on inside before lunch, aided by a fan that dried things out a bit. After lunching on some burgers, I went in to get the second coat on while he and Mike very graciously built the two IKEA-esque cabinets we had bought for bathroom stowage.
By 4:00, with both cabinets built and two coats of Batman Grey everywhere that needed it, we found ourselves unable to continue; until the second coat was fully dry, we couldn't even tape the borders of the planned feature wall (in a darker grey formerly known as Ash Grey but renamed Cape Grey for the duration), let alone paint that wall, and the same went for the frame for the suspended ceiling. They had certainly earned the opportunity to put their feet up and have a few items from the Big Rock Barn Burner pack I had purchased for the occasion, and that left me obliged to host, so it really worked out rather splendidly.
The next day, a survey of weekends between now and G&G X saw me sadly foregoing worship services in order to get more done, starting with the feature wall. Despite my best efforts, the taping failed to give the crisp border between Batman Grey and Cape Grey I desire , which was due in no small part to my poor mudding job in the corner, but also due to stringing the green tape out in one 8' long streamer, instead of the recommended series of one foot sections I only learned about from the Painters's Tape website after I was done and was searching for how long after painting I should remove the tape. (In case you are wondering, the answer is as soon as you are done painting, to reduce the possibility of the dried paint tearing or chipping unexpectedly.)
After church, Audrey and I went to Rona to buy the paint, trim and other sundries needed for the completion of the room. We quickly popped the door off its hinges so the girls could paint it and the door and window trim, which they took to admirably, and the fashionable painters caps were just icing on the cake. By the end of the day, they had taped and painted one side of the door and all the trim, while We also got two coats on the feature wall, insulation in the attic, a peel-and-stick backsplash installed,and had hung the mirror, towel and t.p. holders, and most importantly, the iconic Jim Lee Batman poster.
Just before bed, I got the first coat of light grey on the concrete floor; the official name is Morning Mist, but I have a hard time coming up with an alternative name for it, as I find myself stymied by what I perceive to be a tint of lilac, a colour well outside the Bat-ouevre.
There is still a fair amount to be done, and little time to do it in, but progress is still being made, and with a little luck, it will be presentable for Glory's belated birthday sleepover this Friday, and we can get the tools, supplies and everything moved out of the basement to facilitate construction back out of the living room!
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